U.S. lawmakers tire of playing '20 questions' in surveillance briefings

June 13, 2013|Reuters

* Bill introduced seeking more openness on surveillance

* 22 briefings for Congress in 14 months

* Staffers barred from most briefings

By Patricia Zengerle and Thomas Ferraro

WASHINGTON, June 13 (Reuters) - Some members of the U.S.Congress say that getting straight answers from intelligenceagencies about top-secret surveillance is like playing the game"20 Questions," where answers come only if a questioner knowsexactly what to ask.

They say quality of closed briefings depends largely on whoconducts the sessions and whether members go in with a workingknowledge of programs and pointed questions.

Intelligence officials have scheduled several such briefingsthis week amid the furor over data collection by the NationalSecurity Agency after secrets were leaked to news outlets byEdward Snowden, an employee at an NSA contractor.

Although President Barack Obama insisted the Congress was"fully briefed," many lawmakers said they were unaware of twoprograms exposed by Snowden that involved collecting billions oftelephone records and monitoring Internet data through companiessuch as Google Inc and Facebook Inc.

"We, here, Congress needs to be informed of what's going on,and we're not, and that's very disturbing to me," saidDemocratic Senator Jon Tester, a sponsor of new legislation toforce more disclosure to Congress.

A confidential briefing for the full Senate is set forThursday to discuss details of the NSA surveillance. But asimilar briefing Tuesday by officials from the Department ofJustice, FBI, NSA and the office of the Director of NationalIntelligence for all 435 members of the House of Representativesleft many lawmakers unsatisfied.

"I think there are still more questions than answers,"Republican Representative Tom Price said after the session.

Administration officials noted that members of Congresswere filled in on the programs 22 times in the 14 months endingin December 2012. Those sessions included hearings, meetingswith individual members and meetings of the Judiciary andIntelligence committees, a senior administration official said.

'TELLING US AS LITTLE AS THEY COULD'

Former U.S. Representative Jane Harman, a Democrat whoserved on every major House security committee before resigningfrom Congress in 2011, said getting the right briefer can make abig difference in how much lawmakers learn.

"Sometimes these briefings are a game of 20 questions. Ifyou don't ask exactly the right question, you don't get theanswer," said Harman.

Senators are generally provided with more information thanmembers of the House. Staffers said high-tech intelligenceissues also are particularly difficult because computer-savvystaffers - on whom busy lawmakers rely - are often barred fromclassified sessions.

Lawmakers said oversight is made more difficult when spyagencies guard the truth.

"One of the most important responsibilities a senator has isoversight of the intelligence community. This job cannot be doneresponsibly if senators aren't getting straight answers todirect questions," said Democratic Senator Ron Wyden.

Wyden pressed James Clapper, the director of nationalintelligence, during a March hearing on whether the governmentcollected data about millions of Americans.

Clapper said it did not do so deliberately. After theSnowden leak, he said on NBC that his answer to Wyden was the"least untruthful" he could give at the time.

Former Senator Bob Graham, who chaired the Senateintelligence committee from 2001-2003, said spy agencies havealways balanced what they see as the need for secrecy with theneed to inform Americans.

"In the aftermath of 9/11, I got the impression that theywere telling us as little as they could without perjuringthemselves," he said.